The Gypsy Princess by Phoebe Gilman

This is a cute story about a little gypsy named Cinnamon who is free-spirited and fun. She can play musical instruments and dance with bears, but what Cinnamon has always wanted is to see what it's like to be a real princess. One day her wish is answered when a princess comes to get her fortune told by Cinnamon. The princess is so entertained by Cinnamon that she invites her to come live in the palace. Cinnamon goes to live at the palace obviously and delights in the fancy dresses and parties, but after a while she starts to feel sad and misses the freedom she had as a gypsy. The princess soon tires of her and gets new companions and the gypsy girl starts to feel very homesick. So one day instead of letting the maid dress and fuss over her, she leaves the palace in search of her home. She finds the bear she used to dance with and takes down her hair hoping he'll recognize her, and of course he does and they begin to dance.

This is a great story for young girls because, especially for the 'girly' girls, being a princess is such a big deal. They dress up as princesses, obsess over Disney princesses, and want so badly to be a princess themselves, and it's good to let them explore that part of their imagination. It is also important to let them see or realize the goodness in themselves that they may not necessarily need to be a princess to be great, though playing can be fun.

The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman

Like it's predecessor, this book is a great children's book. Jillian is finished tidying her room and has now decided that she will make pigs! She makes a lot of pigs and then decides to sell them with her friends, but when people start buying her pigs she discovers that she's too emotionally attached to her pigs to sell them. So instead she gives lessons on how to make pigs. At the end of the book there is a little pattern that teaches you how to make a stuffed pig.

Like the first book it rhymes nicely and like the first book, the illustrations are very expressive and energetic. Great series.

Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman

This is a great story, both to read out loud and to read alone. It's about a girl whose mother wants her to clean her room, but her friends come over and they end up playing instead. Her mother tells her a few times to go clean her room and she seemingly goes to do it, but she takes her friends with her, as well as her baby sister, and they get distracted by their imaginations, so we get to see them pretending to be a bunch of different things. At the end though her mother puts her foot down and tells Jillian to clean her room, so she tells her friends to come back when her room is neater.

The book rhymes, which is amazing for reading out loud, or for singular readings, the flow is nice. The illustrations are great too, the characters look like they're having fun. The way they're drawn conveys a lot of energy and excitement, and yet the drawings are simple... I guess they kind of remind me of children themselves, not a whole lot to them, but invest your time and you'll have more than your share of fun.

This whole series is great. I recommend.